Breeders charged after dogs found outside in cold weather

by WSYX/WTTE

File photo (WSYX/WTTE)

WAPWALLOPEN, Pa. -- Three dog breeders in Pennsylvania are facing 130 criminal counts stemming from a raid in which authorities said some dogs were found outside in freezing temperatures and others were inside in squalid conditions.

State police say they were called to the Conyngham Township property Dec. 31 after a report that 11 dogs were outside in temperatures that neared zero degrees.

Wayne Harvey, a humane officer with the Luzerne County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who filed the charges, says the dogs' water was frozen solid and "they were licking it for moisture."

The SPCA and state police later served a search warrant and reported finding 19 more dogs in filthy conditions. Authorities say the defendants face multiple counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and animal neglect.